Thursday, 24 April 2014

Hello,Gary Malkowski , Toronto Association of the Deaf (TAD) President has announced the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) 's good news about Video Relay Services (VRS) that will be happening in Canada along with other TAD's events.Please see the link - http://youtu.be/z6XF_OmGk4oThanks,Sheila MontneyCo-ChairpersonMBVRS

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Breaking
news... Good news CRTC made the decision to have VRS in Canada !! It will be
happening in Fall 2015. Please see the information below which I copy & paste
from CRTC website:

The
CRTC held a week long public hearing to determine whether Video Relay Service
(VRS) for Canadians who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired should be
offered. Today, the CRTC has issued its decision that VRS must be made
available throughout Canada, starting as early as the fall of 2015.

During
the public hearing, which involved the telecommunications industry, potential
VRS users and representatives of the VRS industry, a number of participants
suggested that rather than require telecommunications service providers to
create and provide their own VRS service, to best serve Canadians, an
independent administrative body should be set up to oversee the implementation
of VRS.

The
CRTC has decided in favour of this approach and is inviting comments on the
administrative body’s structure and mandate. This public consultation,
which was launched by aTelecom Notice of Consultation, will lead to
the creation of a VRS administrator with a Board of Directors that draws its
members from all VRS stakeholders, including both American Sign Language (ASL)
users,Langue des signes
québécoise(LSQ)
users, telecommunications service providers and others. For more information or
to participate, please visit the CRTC website (www.crtc.gc.ca).

VRS
must be available for users of both ASL and LSQ and it will be funded by the
National Contribution Fund. The fund was created in 2001 to subsidize local
telephone service in areas where the cost of providing this service is higher.
A maximum of $30 million from the fund will be allocated annually to support
VRS once it is in operation.

The
administrator will have the authority to make important decisions about how VRS
is implemented within the requirements established by the CRTC.

The
administrator is required, among other things, to:

·Build a VRS model that meets the criteria set out by the CRTC in
its decision, including targeted hours of operation and technical requirements
with respect to the VRS platform and technology;

·Ensure that VRS is delivered efficiently across Canada;

·Develop the VRS service quality standards, privacy and
confidentiality policies, and a process for monitoring VRS implementation,
including dealing with complaints and collecting data;

·Develop an education and outreach campaign to make Canadians aware
of when VRS will be available and how it works; and

·Report to the CRTC as required.

For a
more detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of the
administrator, please see the decision, available on the CRTC’s website atwww.crtc.gc.ca.

The
CRTC will ensure that both LSQ and ASL services launch on the same day, and
that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the quality and availability
of the service in both languages is comparable.

Once
VRS launches, telephone numbers will be issued to Canadians who require this
service due to a hearing or speech disability. All telephone users will be able
to contact VRS subscribers simply by calling their telephone number. In order
to receive a telephone number, VRS users will need to sign a user agreement
that certifies they have a hearing or speech disability, and that outlines
privacy and confidentiality policies, fair usage policies and information on
9-1-1 access. A user agreement is required so that the roles and
responsibilities of the user and the provider are understood.

Access
to basic VRS will be offered at no additional charge. Those whosign upfor
this service will need to obtain and pay for their own high-speed Internet
service and an Internet-connected device needed for VRS, such as a computer,smartphone, tablet or videophone. The CRTC has
decided that no special VRS basicInternet packageswill be mandated.

VRS may
not initially be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The CRTC has directed
the administrator to prioritize high-traffic times and to aim to provide at
least 72 hours of VRS per week, with some service being provided every day of
the week by the end of the first year of operations. Individuals will only be
able to call 9-1-1 through VRS during these hours of operation.

VRS
users will be required to pay for any additional services, such as call
waiting, call display, video mail and long-distance calls. Where available,
these services are to be offered to a registered VRS user at rates similar to
those of corresponding voice telephone services. Long-distance services are to
be charged based on conversation minutes.

To
ensure that the system continues to meet the needs of all Canadians, the CRTC
will review the VRS system at the end of three years following its
implementation. By making the provision of VRS mandatory, the CRTC has
taken an important step towards improving access to the telecommunications
system for all Canadians, including those with hearing or speech disabilities.

We hope
that this information has been helpful. It is intended to summarize the key
elements of the decision and to serve as a quick reference for consumers. For
more information, please consult the decision, which is the authoritative
document setting out the CRTC’s determinations about VRS.

If
you’d like more information about VRS, including a list of frequently asked
questions and details about how you can participate in the next consultation,
please visit the CRTC online atwww.crtc.gc.ca

Friday, 11 April 2014

We
are excited to announce that the Manitoba
School for the Deaf has chosen to fundraise again with Mom’s Pantry! We are
confident you can help us reach our fundraising goals for our student exchange
trip to Japan in the Fall. Mom’s offers a diverse, wholesome product range that
is sure to offer something for everyone.

Our
most important partner in achieving our fundraising goal is you. Everyone
involved is encouraged to participate and support our cause. Orders can be
taken from friends, neighbours, community members and relatives. You can assist
greatly by taking orders at your place of employment, social or sports clubs.
It is with your effort and commitment that we will be able to reach our
fundraising goal.

Place order online at www.momspantry.ca

1.Go to the ONLINE ORDERING BOX at the top right hand corner of the website.

2.If this is your first time online
ordering with Mom’s Pantry then you will need to click on CREATE NEW ACCOUNT in order to register yourself as an individual
customer. It will ask for your name, address, email etc. and for a personal
password that you create. Click on SIGNUP.

3.Once you have successfully
registered then go back to the ONLINE ORDERING BOX and type in your email and the password you created
and press LOGIN.

4.Choose the FUNDRAISING ORDER option.

5.When the pop up box appears to
login to the fundraising order, enter your ORDER NUMBER & GROUP
PASSCODE found here:

Order Number: 119157 Group
Passcode: 28630

6.Place your order and checkout. You
must complete the entire process (including payment) for your order to be
processed. Online orders are paid for by
credit/debit card at time of ordering.

7.Print your receipt for your
records. Orders may be picked up at the Manitoba
School for the Deaf during the day between May 26th – 30th.
Orders must be placed by Thursday, May 15th, 2014.

We hope that you will help us in
our fundraising efforts for our student exchange trip to Japan by ordering
products from Mom’s Pantry and encouraging those you know to do the same.
Together we can make a difference! We wish to thank you in advance for your
support.

If
you have any questions or concerns you can contact Mar at mkoskie@msd.ca .

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

The
Manitoba Education, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Unit invites you to our Thursday,
April 24th, 2014 Networking Day. We are encouraging people to arrive
for the day at 9:30 and get settled before the morning announcements at 9:45.
We would like to point out that our day will conclude at 2:15 (not 2:00).

To
get all the information on this upcoming Networking day and to register please
click on the link below:

If
you are unable to open this link from your work computer, I would suggest
forwarding this email to your personal computer and try opening it from there.
If you are still having any difficulties, feel free to contact me.

Please note that each participant in your group (including children)
must submit an individual registration form as we don’t have the capacity for
group registrations. This is also to ensure that we can collect
accurate statistics so we can make sure we match the needs of all participants
for this Networking Day and those to come. Space maybe limited for some of the
sessions, so we ask that you register by April 11th.
Meeting this deadline will help us schedule more efficiently and ensure that we
can arrange for interpreters or soundfield systems. Late registration will
still be accepted but we cannot guarantee admittance into your chosen
sessions.

I
would like to point out that our lunch program this year will be run by the
Japan Committee. Please register for lunch and support students and staff in
their efforts in fundraising for their trip to Japan in the fall of 2014.

Finally, please
note that the parking restrictions on Stradford Street are lifted for the
day.

Safe Schools Manitoba is a partnership
initiative of organizations committed to working together to enhance the safety
of Manitoba’s schools and communities.
The organization represents a collaboration of the provincial
government, schools, law enforcement, professional associations and community
agencies. Safe Schools Manitoba offers
workshops and resources for educators, students, parents and community members
to build awareness and understanding of the problems and solutions that impact
the safety of children and youth.

WORKSHOPS FOR EDUCATORS

Bullying in
Schools: Issues and Interventions

Bullying is
a widespread problem that can lead to devastating consequences. In order to address school-based bullying, we
need an accurate understanding of the extent, nature and context of the
problem. In this workshop, educators
will gain an understanding of bullying – its definition, forms, dynamics,
signs, causes and consequences.
Effective, sustained approaches to prevention and interventions are a
must. Participants will take away a
wealth of ideas to address bullying at an individual, classroom and school
level.

Bullying in
the Workplace

Workplace
bullying has detrimental effects on a personal and professional level. It is an insidious problem that can poison a learning
and working environment. The distinction
between bullying and harassment will be made; however, the session will focus
primarily on workplace bullying. We will
examine many dimensions of the problem – forms, dynamics, prevalence, causes,
consequences, as well as steps to address it.
Finally, our discussion will explore the building blocks to promoting
respect and dignity in the workplace.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying
is a rapidly emerging problem that can jeopardize the safety of students and
staff. In this session, we will look at
the forms, dynamics and impact of cyberbullying. There will be a specific focus on the unique
challenges posed by cyberbullying – it is perceived to be anonymous, occurs
24/7, and extends to an infinite audience.
We will also explore issues such as school’s role in responding to
off-campus incidents, legal responsibilities, effective responses, and policy
development. Finally, there will be a
call for a collective effort between educators, students, and parents to
address this allusive, ever-changing problem.

The Role of
Discretion in Promoting Safe Schools

Discretion
plays a prominent role in the promotion of a caring, respectful, safe school
climate; and yet this pervasive element is rarely acknowledged. Interestingly, heightened concerns about
school safety are leading to increased recognition of the role of discretion,
because it allows for flexibility when responding to the nuances of each
situation. In this session, participants
will have the opportunity to explore a range of factors that impact their use
of discretion – education, training, values, biases and case facts. Finally, we will examine the
interrelationship between discretion and policy when creating a safe school climate.

Monday, 7 April 2014

We want to share the good news! Big congratulation to
Clifford Beaulieu’s team and Brenda Davidson’s team for bringing GOLD from National Deaf Curling Trials
in Ottawa. Picture was taken at airport with approximately 40 people to cheer for them. They will
represent CANADA for 18th
Winter Deaflympic at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia in

There is a sign of Spring coming soon! The sky was
almost blue with the sun very bright with some trees that is almost showing blossom. Are you ready
for walking??

I would like to inform you all that
I am now organizing Deaf Walk Club again. I will make new schedule with dates from May to September 2014. If you are interested, please come to my house on Saturday, April 12,
2014 for 1 pm. I will provide small refreshments so we can discuss about the location.

Please let me know by this Thursday( April 10th) if you are interested to come. Please give me your
cell phone number or email to me for more information for this coming Saturday.

If you have any questions, please contact me
at 204-770-9881 (text-only) or email - cbarnold10@shaw.ca

You are invited to an open house to discuss
pedestrian and cycling strategies

Hello,

Over the last few months, the City of Winnipeg has been developing Pedestrian
and Cycling Strategies that will help guide transportation choices in Winnipeg.
We are pleased to let you know that there has been great progress to date
with a comprehensive public engagement process that has demonstrated a need for
these Strategies to enhance walking and cycling as safe, viable and attractive
transportation choices.

With the completion of a city-wide telephone survey and the voluntary online
survey, the City has received valuable input from over 2,200 Winnipeggers to
help identify the walking and cycling needs and wants for citizens. A targeted
stakeholder workshop was also completed, with representation from the
education, tourism, development, health, environment, accessibility, and
business communities, as well as inner city and suburban organizations, and new
Canadians.

We have developed draft Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies based on the input we
have received to date and want your further input!

The City
will be holding its first public open house on Saturday, April 12, 2014 between
11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People located at 2
Forks Market Road. The team will present the draft city-wide bicycle and
pedestrian network as well as draft recommendations for new City policies
related to Active Transportation.

Additional open houses will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 between 3:00
p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the Sinclair Park Community Centre located at 490
Sinclair Street and at the Manitoba Hydro Place Atrium located at 360 Portage
Avenue for those unable to attend the Saturday open house.

You can continue to participate in this project in the following ways:

We
are writing to you in hopes that you will consider volunteering for the
upcoming AVLIC 2014 conference.

The
conference of the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC)
is a biennial conference that promotes the profession of signed language
interpreting in Canada
and internationally. This year the theme
is “Interpreters and Human Rights”, and we would like to invite you to be a
part of this exciting event. Winnipeg has been chosen
to be the host city. In order to make
this conference a success and highlight what this city has to offer we need the
support of the community. Support in the
way of Volunteers.

Our
goal is to have as many volunteers as possible so that we can generate a
flexible schedule with short shifts to accommodate everyone during this busy
and exciting time.